A study by researchers at Duke University and the University of Calgary has compared coal burning in the U.S. and South Korea and proposed a way to cut down net carbon dioxide emissions. Given South Korea’s new coal-fired plants superior efficiency, the nation derives far greater energy per ton of coal burned. The hitch is that the U.S. has relatively cleaner-burning coal but has aging and inefficient infrastructure. The researchers investigated a scenario whereby the U.S. would export coal to Korea, which then burns cleaner coal. The US will then use natural gas in place of coal. The team estimated that the switch would result in a 21 % drop in carbon emission for both countries.

Chile Attracts $7 Billion In Clean Energy Investments

Chile, the wealthiest nation in Latin America, is attracting $7 billion of renewable energy investments as the government seeks to curb dependence on traditional fossil fuel to supply cheaper power to the mining industry, which provides a third of the world’s copper. Pattern Energy Group LLP, Chile’s biggest wind farm developer, plans to proceed with a solar plant in the nation’s Atacama Desert. The San Francisco-based Pattern also operates the El Arrayan wind farm, 250 miles north of Santiago. Pattern went public in September with a$319 million initial public offering and another $300 million in a secondary offering in May.

Gamesa Installs 220 MW of New Wind Energy in India

Over 220 MW of new wind energy capacity will be installed by Gamesa in the Indian states of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, according to a recent deal between the wind energy firm and three large independent regional power producers. The new capacity will be made up of 110 of Gamesa’s G97 2.0 MW wind turbines, which will be spread out among five different wind farms. The turbines will locally manufactured, and are expected to be delivered in March 2015.

Fracking Link to Birth Defects Probed

The first research into the effects of oil and gas development on babies near wells has found a potential health risk. In published research, Lisa McKenzie of the Colorado Schools of Public Health, and her colleagues found that babies born to mothers living with more than 125 wells within a mile of their homes showed a 30 percent increase in congenital heart defects compared with those with no fracking wells within 10 miles. Government officials, industry experts and the researchers themselves say more studies are needed before drawing conclusions.